Product Review -- Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer (and Quickie Blending Sponge)

Whenever I see a lot of hype surrounding a product before I buy it, I become pretty sure that it's never going to live up to my expectations.

It isn't fair, really, but all of the rave reviews and gushing praise for the product just make me set the bar so high in my own mind that it would be virtually impossible for the item to be as good as the hype.

That's exactly the experience that I was expecting with the Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer.

I've seen everyone and their mother rave about this concealer and it's been sold out everywhere for so long that it seemed like the entire world was desperate to get their hands on it (many shades are again sold out everywhere at the time that I'm writing this review, so you may need to be patient if you want to pick it up).

How could I not expect this concealer to be the greatest concealer ever made?

Well, I'm happy to report that for me, with my skin type and tone, it kind of is.

If not the greatest concealer ever made, Shape Tape is definitely in the top 3.

Tarte markets it not only as a concealer for covering dark circles, redness, and other discoloration, but they also suggest using it in a shade or two lighter or dark as a tool for contouring and highlighting.

With my skin being as pale as it is, no brand is ever going to make a concealer that's light enough for me to use as a highlighter and none of the darker concealers seemed cool enough to work as a contour for me, so I just purchased the Shape Tape in a single shade to use as a standard concealer.

The product comes in a plastic tube with a pretty purple and gold design on the cap. It has a doe foot applicator that's on the larger side that I imagine would work well for swiping it on for highlighting and contouring.

Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer in Fair

The concealer itself is very thick and creamy, and provides amazingly full coverage. It doesn't have a matte finish exactly, but it's also not as dewy as say the Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer so I guess I'd classify it as satin or demi-matte.

Best of all, it's hydrating without being greasy or oily so you don't have to worry about it looking cakey or dry, especially under the eyes.

What amazes me most about this concealer is the coverage that it's able to deliver while still looking and feeling like a lightweight formula.

And isn't that exactly what you want a concealer to do?

I purchased the Shape Tape in Fair, which is pretty much a perfect match for my extremely fair skin. It's also available in 9 other shades (though they definitely seem to be lacking in shades for darker skin tones).

Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer in Fair

The only place that Fair was in stock when I was looking for it was QVC, where you can purchase the concealer and the Quickie Blending Sponge that Tarte is marketing with it for $28. Because that's only $4 more than the concealer itself, it seemed like a pretty good deal to me.

The Quickie Blending Sponge is a purple triangle shaped sponge with a slightly pointed bottom that is similar to the Beauty Blender. I've used it with the Shape Tape, and it blends out the concealer well, just as it does with the other concealers and foundations that I've tried it with.

Tarte Quickie Blending Sponge

It feels denser than the Beauty Blender and other sponges that I've tried, but that doesn't seem to offer any advantage as far as I can tell. It does its job, but it's $16 on its own and that just seems like too much to spend on a sponge when you can get the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge for $6.99.

So while I think anyone who's looking for a do-it-all concealer that doesn't look or feel heavy and will cover up pretty much anything should definitely check out the Shape Tape, I'd say pass on the Quickie Blending Sponge.

You can find the concealer on the Tarte website, at Ulta, and QVC for $24.

Have you tried the Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer? What's your favorite way to use it?